Las Vegas now the largest US city running entirely on renewable energy

Last week, Las Vegas officials announced the city is now running entirely on renewable energy. The launch of a giant solar array called Boulder Solar I gave the city its final shove toward its decade-long goal of 100 percent clean energy generation. By the end of 2017, the Hoover Dam will also supply the region with hydropower for the first time.

The move toward renewable energy production began in Las Vegas in 2008. Since then, solar arrays have sprung up in City Hall plaza, parks, on streetlights, and atop the wastewater treatment plant, according to the Las Vegas Review-Journal. A total of 140 facilities now use clean, green energy, and even more customers are coming on board. It is estimated the city has saved a total of $5 million every year by shifting to renewable sources of energy.

With the completion of the large-scale Boulder Solar I project, a product of a partnership with NVEnergy, allowed Mayor Carolyn Goodman announced their goal had been reached. The 100 megawatt facility is located in the Eldorado Valley, along with its partner array, Boulder II. Starting at the end of 2017, Las Vegas will also benefit from hydropower sourced from Hoover Dam for the first time in history. All of the city’s efforts have made it the largest in the US to receive all of its power from renewable sources, followed by Burlington, Vermont.